Winter Passing

It’s been a good few months since I last updated on my life here in London. It's been quite a long winter, with plenty of cold snowy days. We have been running a leadership school focused on urban ministry development, alongside or classic arts internship. Being part of the leadership school staff team has been great. It is the first time we do this school, so of course we are figuring out what works and what doesn’t, but it has been so good. The interns are really pushing to learn and grow, while developing their own ministry projects that vary from recording studio to music festival to coffee shop to social justice programs. They are so creative and really working together to see each project come to life.

This last month I have been in New York City on a scouting trip, and Buenos Aires for two weeks of outreach with the leadership school. In NYC, a small group of us met with pastors and ministry leaders for 10 days, to make connections for future outreaches and possibly the International Arts Gathering in 2019. Generally people think of New Yorkers as being rude, but we found nothing but super generous and helpful people. We ended up being invited to a lunch for church-planters that coincidentally only happens once a month and we managed to be there for it...God is so crazy good. We also just hit the streets, getting the lay of the land and finding strategic locations and hubs of life.

Heading to Buenos Aires was a change of weather, culture, and speed. With the leadership school, we spent the first week receiving teachings from a loved friend of our base, Angelica, based from Romans 12 on the renewing of our mind. I want to share what we "learned" but really what happened was that our hearts were soaked in truth. The truth that we have been formed by culture, upbringing, society, family, media, and many other influences that have taken us away from the truth of God and who we are in Him. It's a daily thing to look to Jesus to be our source. Our source of faith, hope, truth, life, identity, passion, and so much more. It's a daily thing to walk in who He says we are. After these morning teachings, we spent the afternoons painting and fixing things around the base to bless our family there. The second week we went to the "countryside" of Buenos Aires for the national conference for YWAM Argentina. We spent time in fellowship, teachings, worship, hearing about ministries and church plants, and much more. It was a good chance to see once again where our leaders come from, and to met up with old friends and make new ones.

Back in London now, the leadership interns are finishing up their ministry projects, while we have also begun a new DTS (discipleship training school). At the end of the month we will have an exhibition with the arts internship that will also be finishing their time with us, and a dual graduation party. This week we have begun moving into our new office space (hooray!!!) and were able to attend the London Coffee Festival (even more hooray!!!). God is moving here in the city and its amazing to be a part of it. For sure it comes with its struggles and hardships, but also with growth and victory! We keep pressing on, full of hope that the One who called us will be faithful to fulfill His word and carry us through. He is amazing! Thank you all for your love and support. Without that, this would be much harder of a journey.
Lots of love!